Buttigieg and Klobuchar Shine in Fourth Debate

We will see what the polls look like next week, but this may be the debate that shakes up the race for the Democratic nomination. As the new front-runner, Senator Elizabeth Warren took much of the heat last night without wilting, Biden was fine, and Bernie probably put his heart condition behind him for now. But it was the second tier candidates, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who really shined.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg: Mayor Pete had his best debate, in part, because he could show off his military experience, but also because he was able to draw sharp differences between himself and Warren, and showed real passion about the issues. He demonstrated that he isn't just a really smart policy wonk.

CNN: "Tonight, he brought something more. On health care, guns and particularly, President Trump’s withdrawal from Syria and the betrayal of our Kurdish allies, Buttigieg, a war veteran who served in Afghanistan, showed genuine edge and passion."

"He directly challenged frontrunner Elizabeth Warren and others on the stage over Medicare for All and delivered a riveting rebuke of President Trump’s precipitous withdrawal from Syria."

In just a few sentences, Buttigieg eviscerated President Trump's decision to abandon the Kurds in Syria.

Wash. Post: "Buttigieg, a fellow veteran, was asked to respond. His answer was arguably one of his strongest of any debate and was memorable for its passion: “When I was deployed, not just the Afghan National Army forces, but the janitors put their lives on the line just by working with U.S. forces. I would have a hard time today looking an Afghan civilian or soldier in the eye after what just happened over there. And it is undermining the honor of our soldiers. You take away the honor of our soldiers, you might as well go after their body armor next. This president has betrayed American values. Our credibility has been tattered.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar: She continued to hammer Warren on the weaknesses underlying "Medicare for all" and seemed much more comfortable representing the moderate middle of the party. She was also quite effective in her attacks on President Trump.

NBC: "She accused Trump of putting himself above his country and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., of refusing to level with voters about raising taxes on them to finance a Medicare for All health insurance proposal."

Klobucher also had the most sensible and compelling answer regarding Trump's impeachment.

CBS: "Klobuchar said U.S. leaders have the "constitutional duty" to pursue impeachment. She wondered how trying to get the Ukrainian president to interfere in U.S. elections makes America great again and how leaving Kurds "for slaughter" makes America great again. "It doesn't make America great again," she said. "It makes Russia great again."

Like Buttigieg, the MN Senator was also more passionate and assertive in this debate.

CNN: "In previous debates, Klobuchar seemed uncomfortable and unwilling to fully contest the issues with her opponents. Not so tonight. She engaged with Warren on health care and other issues with well-crafted, colloquial points and flashes of her trademark humor."

New York Times: “Every time Amy Klobuchar speaks she says something sensible. Not sure that makes her electable, but it’s nice to hear.” — Joe Lockhart, former spokesman for President Bill Clinton"

So far, the debates haven't changed the polling much with Biden, Warren and Sanders still leading the pack, but this debate felt a bit different.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

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By: Don Lam & Curated Content